The present invention relates to a face seal O-ring insertion tool. More specifically, the invention is directed to a tool that can be used to insert an O-ring in a half dovetail recess of an industrial connector, such as a fitting, an adaptor, or a coupling.
O-rings are usually round, flexible seals that are made of an elastomeric material. O-rings can be positioned in recesses defined by connectors in order to prevent leakage of fluid. In the past, O-rings fell out of the recesses during shipment of the connectors because the recesses were not designed to maintain the O-rings within the recesses.
Recently, the recesses, which are also known as glands or grooves, have been redesigned to include a lip in order to form a xe2x80x9chalf dovetailxe2x80x9d configuration. This new configuration makes it difficult to dislodge the O-ring once it is inserted in the recess.
It has been found that it is difficult to insert an O-ring in the half dovetail groove. Therefore, there is a need for a tool to insert an O-ring in a half dovetail recess. The present invention satisfies this need.
The present invention is directed to a tool for inserting a flexible O-ring in a connector having a recess including a lip. The tool includes a base. A ram is mounted on the base for pushing the O-ring toward the recess. A sleeve is mounted adjacent the ram. At least one chamfered edge is positioned on either the ram or the sleeve for engaging the O-ring to cause the O-ring to flex inwardly during pushing by the ram to allow the O-ring to pass the lip and enter the recess.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a face seal O-ring insertion tool that can be used to insert an O-ring in a half dovetail recess of a connector.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention shall become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.